Middle schoolers explore the major constellations. After reviewing the Earth's basic motions and their significance, students discuss the moon's orbit and revolutions. Using a Digitarium Alpha portable planetarium projector, they...

Students research various legends and write a script based on that legend.  In this cultural awareness lesson, students read the Native American legend telling of the origin of the earth.  Students analyze how the concepts in...

Stduents create and color plaster landforms, and describe how weathering and erosion change the Earth's surface.

Students discover the faults throughout the Earth. They describe the different types of faults and how they are related to earthquakes. They build models of the faults.

Students compare and contrast the process of regolith formations. In groups, students define regolith and discover how regolith is formed on the Earth and on the Moon. They participate in experimental activities to simulate regolith.

Students use a simple physical model of the Earth, sun, and moon to understand why the moon changes phases from the perspective of Earthly observers. They hold up balls representing the moon in a room with a single light source to see...

Students explore the transit of Venus and the information that this minieclipse provides about the distance between the Earth and the sun. They create their own astronomical units.

Students study the skeleton, about the number of and types of bones in the body, and how outer space affects astronauts' bones. They discover how to take care of their bones here on Earth to prevent osteoporosis, or, weakening of the...

First graders are introduced to the ecosystems of savannas throughout the world. Using new vocabulary, they identify and describe the characteristics of a savanna and the animals that live there. They also describe the Earth's physical...

Students explore the relationship between the earth, sun, and moon in our solar system. They create a moonrise/moonset chart, perform a dance that models the moon phases, and create a Styrofoam model of the moon's surface.

Students explore the Earth's various biomes and ecosystems using Internet research. They create a multimedia poem using the photos, sounds, and vocabulary from their research.

Young scholars engage in a lesson that investigates finding the dates of the solstices and equinoxes. They define the terms related to the concept and conduct research in order to explain the physical occurrences. They also relate to how...

Middle schoolers discover scales for both the solar bodies' relative sizes and their distances from the sun. They find equatorial circumference and volumes of their solar bodies. Students apply estimation strategies and proportioanl...

Middle schoolers identify the dates of the solstices and equinoxes and how they relate to the various seasons on Earth. After discussing how the solstice and equinox affect the seasons, students use their bodies to demonstrate the how...

Students explore the amount of radiation in the Earth's atmosphere. They calculate the total amount of incoming and outgoing radiation over a day and determine how "balanced" the radiative system is over a particular location.

In this earth science instructional activity, students read about the evolution of metamorphic rock, the most common types, and the make-up of metamorphic rock. They look at diagrams of the intensity of metamorphism before answering 7...

Students explore solar power. For this solar power lesson, students build simple solar cookers after they study convection, conduction, and radiation. Students transfer their knowledge of how the solar cooker works to climate changes on...

Students express what it would be like to launch off into outer space in a space shuttle. They include what it might feel like, look like, sound like, and any thoughts that go through their mind as they dart away from the Earth's...

Students research and identify the phases of the moon. They consider the moon's rotation, as well as that of the earth and sun. They write a description of their research and present it to the class.

Students use an ordinary toy to reveal the Doppler effect. The connection is also made to moving cars, and to the shifting of the lines in the absorption or emission spectrum when the distance between a star and Earth is increasing or...

Students create a model of the phases of the Moon by giving students pictures of the phases of the Moon, a picture of the Earth, and a picture of the Sun. They then take a picture, and stand in correct place to make the phases of the...

Students develop an awareness of basic meteorology and related earth science topics. They reinforce geographical knowledge and build analytical and communications skills through class presentations. Students research exciting weather...

Students discuss rocks and other earth materials made up of minerals. They identify minerals by means of their more obvious physical properties such as hardness, luster, color, streak, cleavage and fracture. They arrange a given set of...

Students receive current data on the movement of plates on the earth's crust. These plates shift and the magnitude of their shift over time can be tracked. They track this velocity vector on a global map and determine the speed of the...